Anger! Thursday's New Moon (March
26, 2009, 9:06 am PDT/12:06 pm EDT) dovetails
into Venus retrograde in the explosive sign
of Aries, and the world is pulsating
with anger. Anger at the AIG executives and
their million dollar bonuses. Anger at plummeting
house prices, soaring jobless rates, dwindling
retirement accounts, and mushrooming healthcare
costs. Republicans are angry with Democrats,
Democrats are angry with Republicans, and Independents
and Libertarians are angry with everybody.
All this anger is, predictably, spilling over
from world affairs into trivial daily tasks.
Yesterday, driving back from an otherwise uneventful
trip to Trader Joe's, I became so angry with
a fellow motorist that I screamed - and it felt
so good that I screamed some more. I screamed
so enthusiastically that my husband, over in
the passenger's seat, started to get kind of
concerned. He later told me that my screaming
and anger had made him feel "as though
someone was standing on my chest."
Oh, dear. I know that feeling. I've been on
the other end plenty of times, watching otherwise
rational people rage out of control in a way
that makes me fear for their safety and their
sanity. I feel that way at family gatherings
when talk turns to politics and controversy
quickly ensues, and when I don't click past
the cable news shows fast enough while channel-surfing.
I feel that way reading the e-newsletters from
the astrological organizations I belong to,
when an astrologer starts spouting anger toward
an astrologer with a differing approach or perspective.
Anger has its place in the vast scheme of things.
It's a warning sign that something or someone
is being threatened, and acts as a motivator
to remove the threat. And in my defense, I will
say that although I overreacted, my fellow motorist
had jumped his turn at a four-way stop and nearly
rammed his SUV into the side of my tiny Toyota.
I was, indeed, threatened. Except that I can't
see that anger really helped me in that situation.
And in fact, it probably harmed me, stoking
up my blood pressure and upsetting my sweetie
as well.
My over-the-top reaction to a minor traffic
incident got me thinking, and it dawned on me
that earlier that morning, I'd had my feelings
deeply hurt by someone who I felt hadn't recognized
and appreciated some things that I'd done. I
had swallowed those feelings whole, because
they embarrassed me; but they were still there,
festering, until an inattentive motorist "overlooked"
me and triggered my little emotion bomb.
No matter how old we get or how confident
we may seem, there's a vulnerable, newborn Aries
baby inside all of us who wants to come first.
And when it doesn't we scream bloody murder,
like an infant who hasn't been fed quickly enough.
Anger is the emotion of last resort, which
kicks in only when other warning signs have
failed to get our attention. When someone crosses
the line with you, a quick and assertive response
is in order. We need to stand up for ourselves,
and when fear, good manners, or pride keep us
from doing so, anger is the natural result.
But anger is the nuclear weapon of the relationship
arsenal - its only power lies in its ability
to intimidate or frighten others. Anger stamps
a vintage from the grapes of normal, healthy,
Aries wrath, bottles it up and places it in
a dark cellar for months. What results might
be a great wine - but will more likely turn
to vinegar, corrosive and sour.
These days, it seems that anger has moved from
being the emotion of last resort to the first
line of defense. There's plenty of righteous
anger to go around. No one is going to defend
CEOs who took huge bonuses for running a company
into the ground; these are easy targets. And
it's great when people transmute their righteous
indignation into effective civil action. But
I'm not seeing a lot of angry, organized groups
take to the streets in a sense of empowered
outrage. What I am seeing is an awful lot of
people who are cultivating anger as way of life
without taking action to improve their situations.
They're screaming, screaming, screaming behind
the wheel of a car, and it doesn't seem to be
doing much good.
I can't help but wonder how much of this anger
is misdirected embarrassment about other matters
altogether. It's difficult to admit, even to
yourself, that you've made mistakes. It's even
hard to admit when you're in difficult circumstances
despite doing everything "right."
Maybe you can look back and see where you were
duped or could have done things differently;
that's a hard pill to swallow.
So where do you go from here? The Aries
New Moon demands action and courage, not anger
or blame. The most effective Aries people
I've known are people of action. They are not
saints - they have tempers, and don't always
exercise the best judgment; but neither do they
blame the world for their problems, or accept
that nothing can be done about them. Even if
it's something as simple as marching in a demonstration,
writing a letter to the editor, volunteering
for a charitable organization, cutting down
on their gasoline consumption - they do something.
And if they have a beef with you, they come
right out and tell you instead of letting their
resentment fester.
Action and courage are not so easy at this
New Moon, though, with Mars - Aries'
ruling planet - under Saturn's restraining
influence. It seems every step we take toward
action leads us into a brick wall or a slap
in the face. The resulting frustration can lead
you to want to scream, again and again. But
Saturn in Virgo, standing apart from all other
planets in the New Moon chart, is like the single
calm, cool voice of reason in the eye of the
maelstrom. "Go ahead and take action,"
Saturn advises us, "But first, have a strategy."
Look to the house of your chart where the
New Moon falls, at 6.07 Aries - it tells
you where you're ready to take much-needed action
in your life. The true source of any anger that
emerges around this New Moon can be found in
the house where Mars falls, at 9.01 Pisces.
And in the house where Saturn falls at 16.59
degrees of Virgo, you will find a strategic
plan for getting what you really need.
Aries isn't partial to strategy; it's the part
of us that prefers to shoot first and ask questions
later. But while temper tantrums and name-calling
may temporarily feel satisfying, this New Moon's
most effective warriors will be those who are
disciplined and organized. Don't get angry -
get effective.
